Past Regrets
by Sakurachan44
Summary: Yuffie leaves unexpectedly with no explanation. When she returns six months later her past follows and brings a new threat to the planet. YuffiexVincent.
1. Chapter 1

I don't even begin to claim I own Final Fantasy VII or the characters. If I did I'd be a rich girl. Damn I wish I did.

The bar was quiet when Vincent and Shelke arrived. Apparently Tifa had closed it in anticipation for their arrival and planned a celebration dinner. As soon as they walked in the door everyone looked up smiles appearing on their faces.

"Vincent!" Tifa cried wiping her hands as she walked up to embrace the taller man before he could resist. Cloud also walked to Vincent giving him a nod and slight smile. Barrett and Cid both slapped the man on the back and Reeve shook his hand. The kids also ran up, Marlene hugging him as soon as Tifa released the gunman while Denzel stood by Cloud's side shyly. Tifa stood back smiling as Vincent gently removed Marlene from his waist looking slightly uncomfortable with all the attention.

The next few minutes were spent with everyone talking to Vincent while he gave short replies. Shelke stood by his side but her eyes were watching Reeve. The past few days she had spent with him had caused the pair to grow closer and she found herself interested in the WRO leader. The girl was shy though and was unsure if he could even feel the same towards her. It was tough to be a nineteen year old that looked no older than ten. Although Reeve had been trying to help her age normally, so maybe there would be hope.

"Alright everyone, there's some snacks out and dinner should be ready in about an hour so enjoy yourselves," Tifa announced returning to the kitchen. The boys resumed their card game after grabbing some food while Vincent opted for watching. He had been expecting to hear Yuffie's loud voice giving him a lecture about worrying everyone however the ninja had yet to make an appearance at the bar. Although Yuffie had been troublesome, especially in her earlier years, she had become the closest to a friend that Vincent had. She constantly checked up on him and even saved his life back at the mansion during the Omega incident. The gunman was planning on getting to thank the ninja when he came back but if she was already gone the chance might be as well.

"Hey Vincent, can you come here for a minute?" Tifa's voice interrupted his thoughts. He stood and made his way to the kitchen to see what the martial artist needed.

"Dinner's about done, but I was hoping you could let Yuffie know."

"Where is she?" he asked in his usual monotone voice.

Tifa smiled and looked up at Vincent. "She went out to the edge. I think she was worried about you and was going to take her mind off it by working out or something." Tifa paused for a minute then continued, "Anyway I thought it might be nice for her if you were the one who got her but if you don't want to I can send Cloud." The last part was added to ensure he didn't feel put upon since he had just returned.

Vincent looked out the window noticing it looked like it might rain. After thinking for a moment he looked back to Tifa and nodded. Gracefully he strode past her and out the back door of the kitchen to get the ninja. As Tifa watched him leave she wondered if he went that way to avoid questions he would get going past everyone else. Shrugging she watched him move quickly down the street until he disappeared around the corner.

It took a few minutes for him to reach the edge and looking around there was no sign of Yuffie. Vincent wasn't sure why he had agreed but part of him almost missed the ninja. When she wasn't being overly loud she could be good company and sometimes was able to make him almost smile. The gunman waited another minute when a drop of rain splattered on his head. It was at the same moment that he spotted Yuffie running towards him. It seemed she hadn't noticed him yet and she was jogging along listening to music with head phones. The ninja looked up as a drop of rain hit her face and spotted Vincent standing at the entrance to the city. A number of emotions crossed her face before she picked up her pace. Once she was closer she slowed down until she was standing directly in front of the gunman staring up at him.

It took a minute for Yuffie to find her voice as she panted from the run. Once she could speak, she softly stated the obvious.

"You're back."

Vincent looked down at the ninja and nodded. He noticed her face was flushed and her eyes were squinting slightly as though she thought he wasn't real. The look in her eyes was a combination of skepticism and relief. There was also some other emotion in there that he couldn't put his finger on. Before he could contemplate it further the sky opened up and rain poured down. That seemed to wake Yuffie up and she glared at the sky.

"Goddamnit!" she shouted shaking her fist. At that moment a bolt of lightening flashed and thunder cracked causing her to duck and look slightly apologetic.

"I didn't mean it!" she yelled her apology.

Vincent grabbed the ninja's arm before she was electrocuted and pulled her underneath an overhang that offered some shelter. The two stood watching the deluge, both thoroughly soaked. Vincent was bracing for her rant however she offered none. Instead when he chanced a look he saw her staring out at the rain with a solemn look on her face. It was then he also saw that she was shivering quite a bit. Letting out a light sigh he pulled the ninja to his side.

"Vincent what are you-" Yuffie began but stopped as he placed his arm on the other side of her shoulder to keep her under his cloak. Immediately she felt warmer due to his cloak and body heat, not to mention the blush on her face from the close proximity. "Thanks," she said quietly.

"You're welcome," Vincent spoke in his deep voice.

"Oh and sorry," Yuffie said looking away as though she were embarrassed.

"What for?" the gunman asked.

"Well I'm all sweaty and gross and now drenched and you have to stand by me when I probably smell-"

"Yuffie?" Vincent interrupted her quiet rambling.

"Yeah?"

"Be quiet."

Yuffie smiled and nodded her attention back on the rain. They stayed that way until the rain let up enough to make a quick dash home.

"Ready?" Vincent asked looking down at the ninja.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she answered wrinkling her noise at the rain that continued to fall.

With that the pair made for the bar skillfully avoiding the large puddles that had formed. Once at the bar they entered from the kitchen, Tifa pushing the two upstairs to get cleaned up.

"Here these are some of Barrett's old clothes, so they'll be big but at least they're long enough."

Vincent nodded and proceeded to change into the black shirt and pants. At least he didn't have to wear some obnoxious colored clothing. As he left the bathroom he nearly bumped into Yuffie who was wearing some of Tifa's old clothes. The shorts were hanging low on her hips however the tank top hugged her well. It was apparently from before Tifa had been so well endowed. Yuffie looked up to apologize but her mouth stopped working and fell open. Seeing Vincent in normal clothes was quite the shock and the ninja seemed unable to contain her surprise. It was another moment that made him almost smile.

"I apologize," the gunman said quietly gesturing for her to go first. Yuffie nodded still not able to form coherent words and moved to join the party downstairs. Luckily everyone was preoccupied with the card game no one questioned why the two showed up together wearing strange clothes. Once dinner was called people noticed Vincent's new look.

"Holy shit what are you wearing?" Cid exclaimed with his usual sailor mouth.

"It's raining," Vincent replied as if that explained it all and sat to eat.

Everyone shrugged and sat down knowing that his tone indicated the conversation was over. When all was said and done Yuffie ended up sitting between him and Reno who had shown up sometime between the time the gunman had left and come back. Rude and Elena were also there making it a full house. Shelke had figured a way to sit next to Reeve without being obvious but Yuffie noticed all the same. The two had been spending a lot of time together lately making the ninja wonder if the pair would be going somewhere in the near future.

Dinner was pleasant with stories being shared around the table. Vincent noticed that again Yuffie didn't seem to be herself. For one she wasn't really talking at all but she didn't look sad or upset. More like she was in deep thought than anything else. Vincent knew from being around her that she was much more intelligent than she acted but he felt slightly uneasy about the way she had been acting. It was then he heard Reno's voice.

"So you're looking good you know that right?"

Yuffie was looking at Reno and Vincent couldn't see her face when she answered.

"Is that so?"

Reno's smile grew more seductive as he whispered something in Yuffie's ear. Given his enhanced hearing he heard it all. That's when his glass shattered in his hand.

Luckily no one noticed because at that moment Yuffie got up and excused herself. Knowing what Reno had said Vincent expected the ninja to be beating him but she still seemed preoccupied practically ignoring the comment altogether. Reno simply shrugged and was content to make eyes at Tifa until a roll hit him in the head, hard. Looking to the source of the object he saw Cloud who was trying to make the turk burst into flames with his glare.

Vincent nonchalantly picked up the pieces of the glass and silently went to the kitchen to clean the cuts on his hand. Within moments they stopped bleeding since they weren't deep. While there Tifa walked in looking concerned.

"Are you okay Vincent?"

Vincent nodded without turning around. So someone had noticed.

"She seems off tonight," the bar maid stated softly.

Vincent said nothing and waited for the woman to continue.

"I don't know what's going on with her but I hope she's okay."

"Who's okay?"

Yuffie's voice caused both Tifa and Vincent to look at the ninja who had appeared out of no where.

Tifa smiled, "You. It just seems like you're off."

Yuffie smiled, Vincent wondering if it was fake, as she cheerfully answered. "Nope I'm good, just a little tired is all."

The way she looked away after she said that convinced the gunman she was lying. Tifa didn't seem convinced but nodded, "Well if you every need to talk, you know I'm here."

Yuffie nodded still smiling as Tifa left the kitchen.

"Is your hand okay?"

So two people had noticed.

"It's fine."

Yuffie nodded and turned to leave when Vincent's voice stopped her.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

She looked surprised that he asked but nodded smiling again.

"Yeah I really am good, no worries."

The rest of the night he couldn't help but watch her and noticed she was still acting strange. She was being unusually quiet and acting very un-Yuffie like. At the end of the night most people passed out around the bar. Tifa even brought down pillows and blankets for those who had chosen to sleep over inadvertently by passing out. Yuffie made to go upstairs saying goodnight to everyone who was still conscious. When saying goodnight to Vincent she seemed to hesitate as if there was something else she wanted to say. However she simply smiled softly and went to bed. It wasn't long before Vincent found himself dozing in one of the chairs and the next time he woke it was almost dawn. Tifa was already awake but immediately he noticed tears in the woman's eyes as she worked behind the bar.

"Tifa?" he asked his voice rough from sleep.

"She's gone. She just left this and the clothes she borrowed."

With that the tears began to fall and Vincent took the note from her outstretched hand.

It simply read: _Thanks for everything. I wish I could stay but I've got some things to take care of. Take care of everyone for me I hope the best for you all. Yuffie._

So this is my first attempt at a story on here. Please let me know how I can improve and I'll be sure to do it!


	2. Chapter 2

Here's chapter 2. Enjoy!

It was six months since the group had last seen Yuffie. Initially they decided they shouldn't look for her but it was unnerving that her cell phone sent all calls straight to voicemail. Her phone was never off. Reeve had informants everywhere but no one had seen or heard of the ninja girl coming through their areas. Even the informants in the Wutai area couldn't confirm her presence, as the royal family generally kept to themselves. It was finally decided that she would find them when she was ready, however the way she ended her note made everyone wonder if she would indeed come back.

Vincent mentally sighed as he returned to Nibelheim, the drizzle starting to become old fast. He had returned to the small town to live shortly after Yuffie disappeared, and was renting a room while he worked to make the mansion livable. Initially he had thought to destroy the place that held such terrible memories, but over time he changed his mind and decided to fix it up. For some reason all he heard was Yuffie's voice in his head. _Get over it! It's a place to live. Just make some new memories there_.

Instead of going straight to the place he was renting, Vincent found himself parking his motorcycle in front of the mansion. Yes he, Vincent Valentine, was using a motorcycle as his mode of transportation. Cloud had convinced him of the pros and eventually he purchased one to get around the area. It was also a hell of lot better to ride that than a Chocobo, allowing the gunman to keep his some of his dignity. Of course he needed to take a boat or airship to get off the continent, but it was worth it to not have to ride a large bird that made ridiculous "warking" noises. Getting off the bike he made his way to the door and walked in to find a few members of the town inside.

"Oh Mr. Valentine you're back early!"

He recognized the woman as the one he was renting a room from. Still not sure what these people were doing in the mansion, Vincent looked around to see that they had been working on what he had left unfinished. In fact it looked like most of the house was done.

"We wanted to surprise you," the woman continued walking towards him. If Vincent remembered correctly her name was Sarah or Samantha or something to that effect. "You've done so much for the planet we thought it was the least we could do for you. We tried to finish based on what you had already here. Wall colors and such. You still need furniture but your girlfriend can help with that I suppose," she smirked as she finished talking.

Vincent's eyebrow arched. "My girlfriend?"

"Welcome home Vince!"

His head quickly snapped up to see Yuffie standing at the top of the stairs. It was a shock to see the girl who had been missing for so long and caused Vincent's eyes to widen uncharacteristically.

"Well most everything is done, so we'll leave you two alone. Oh she moved all of your stuff from the room so you should be all set. I'll miss you as a tenant; you were so quiet and easy to deal with." The woman sighed as she thought of what her next tenant would be like in comparison to the silent man. "But anyway we'll see you around town Mr. Valentine." Sarah, he decided that was her name, smiled and waved as she and the other town members left through the front door.

That left the pair staring awkwardly at each other. Yuffie decided to take the first step, moving down the stairs slowly until she was standing directly in front of them. There was something different about her but Vincent couldn't put his finger on what it was. It quickly occurred to him that she walked instead of bounded down the stairs. Not at all like Yuffie.

"Sorry about the whole girlfriend thing. Sarah just assumed and I didn't feel like arguing the point. But on the plus side the mansion is just about done," Yuffie explained smiling sheepishly about the whole "girlfriend" situation.

Vincent nodded letting her off the hook and looked around the place. They really had kept the look the way he had envisioned. The past months Reeve's missions made it nearly impossible to finish any task he had begun. The workers truly saved him a lot of trouble by finishing the large house for him.

"Like she said you still need furniture, but that shouldn't be too hard to get. There's a bunch of furniture shops in town from what I gathered."

Vincent looked back to the ninja and finally asked the question he had been thinking in the back of his mind since he first saw her. "Yuffie, why are you here?"

Yuffie looked away and that's when Vincent noticed her hair had grown out and she had it pulled back in a low pony tail. That led to him noticing she wasn't wearing the revealing clothing she used to. Her top looked to be the style of her country with a high collar and sleeveless, made of a dark green silk fabric with small designs patterned on it. Her pants were black and slightly loose and she wore a tall pair of black boots. It was very much a ninja styled outfit unlike her usual attire.

"Well I just thought I'd visit but you were gone. That's when Sarah noticed me and we got to talking. Low and behold she turned out to be your landlord and she told me about you trying to fix up the mansion. I thought it'd been nice if we could finish it for you so you'd have a place of your own, you know?" she looked back at him, smiling again but it wasn't reaching her eyes.

Vincent's crimson eyes caught hers as he asked the other question that had been plaguing everyone including himself. "Where were you?"

Yuffie shrugged and mumbled a reply. "I just had a few things to take care of." Her face brightened a moment later and she grinned once more. "Now I'm making the rounds to visit everyone."

While talking she had moved towards the kitchen and beckoned the gunman to follow. Once there he saw she had stocked up on food for him while he was gone. He also saw a pot of something simmering on the stove.

"I got you food so you'd have something when you got back. Reeve told me you were out on a mission and that you should be back in the next few days so I figured nothing would go bad. I also made some food just in case you got back today. If you didn't show I was going to feed everyone who helped but they kinda split so I guess it's just for you."

Vincent found himself thinking that he was taken aback a great deal during the ninja's unexpected visit. "You aren't going to stay?" he asked noticing that it was getting darker by the minute especially with the dreary weather.

Yuffie looked surprised and shrugged. "If you don't mind I guess I could. You were the last on my rounds so it's not like I've got anywhere to be."

That's when he thought to look at his cell phone and noticed a number of missed calls. Apparently everyone had tried to tell him the news of her sudden appearance.

"Yeah they all seemed pretty excited to see me," she continued. "Even Cid was glad I was back," she laughed lightly but not at all like she normally would have. The current Yuffie seemed to be holding back unlike her former self. Nodding at her explanation he sat on the table and began checking his messages. While he worked on that Yuffie began working on getting dinner on the table.

"Want anything to drink?" she asked quietly trying to not disturb him too much, which was another strange behavior to add to the growing list.

"What is there?" he asked not minding a distraction from Reeve's rambling message.

"Well there's juice, water, milk, soda, and wine."

His eyebrow arched at the word wine.

"What? I'm old enough to buy it and I know that's the only alcoholic beverage I've seen you drink so I thought you might like it. Besides I needed it for the stew."

The gunman nodded, "Wine please."

Yuffie grinned and brought out a glass for him pouring the red wine into it. As she did he noticed the graceful way she poured the beverage. Obviously she had been trained on the proper way to pour drinks which was typical of girls from Wutai. Was that where she had been?

Finished with the messages, which were mainly letting him know Yuffie was back, he looked to the stew in front of him. It actually looked delicious and he realized he was not aware that the ninja could even cook. As if reading his mind she spoke.

"I can cook. And it really is good, Tifa gave me the recipe."

"I didn't question your skills," he replied taking a sip of the wine.

"You had that look on your face. I knew what you were thinking."

Vincent shook his head in reply and began to eat. The meal was quiet as the pair listened to the rain, the only sound heard in the quiet mansion. Vincent was still curious where the girl had been especially since she seemed unusual still, much like their last encounter. It was evident how deep in thought he was when he jumped ever so slightly as Yuffie took his bowl.

"Geez I'm just doing the dishes Vince," the ninja scolded at the way he flinched.

With that she began to fill the sink to wash the bowls when a hand grabbed her own before it reached the water. Yuffie was suddenly aware of Vincent standing right behind her, his breath on the back of her neck.

"Vincent?" she asked he voice cracking slightly at their close proximity. He simply moved her gently taking his glove off his human hand as he tended to the task of the dishes. A smile broke on her face as she was pushed aside. Settling for putting the remaining food away, she watched as Vincent washed the dirty bowls.

"You look so domesticated," she commented and laughed when he turned to glare at her.

_Damn why is she the only one who laughs at this look_? Any normal person would normally lose bladder control at the Vincent Valentine death glare, but the little ninja had never been intimidated when she should be. Of course it could be that he glared while elbow deep in sudsy water. That could definitely take away from the intimidation factor. Once the dishes were done Yuffie grabbed his hand and began pulling him up the stairs. As so as she noticed what she had done she let go, respecting the gunman's no touching policy. Vincent kept quiet, not voicing he hadn't minded the contact.

"Yuffie what are you doing?" he asked in his monotone voice, hiding his curiosity.

"Come on I want you to see the rest of the house."

She showed him around the rest of the mansion and Vincent couldn't help but be impressed with all the work she and the others had done. Finally she stopped outside of one of the bedrooms.

"This is your room I hope you like it."

Opening the door the gunman saw a plain room that suited his tastes perfectly. The walls were a light grey color which went well with the dark wood of the floorboards. The ninja had gone ahead and bought a bed which had dark blankets on it. There was also a dresser and desk that matched, but they had already been in the house according to her explanation.

"I figured you'd like boring so hope it suits your tastes," Yuffie told him watching his reaction. He noticed that she had put the Avalanche group picture on the desk. Nodding he confirmed that she had done well which caused her smile to broaden.

"Is there a place for you to stay?" he asked turning back towards the ninja.

"Yeah you have like, five guest bedrooms so I made them livable. You sure you don't mind me crashing here? Sarah offered me a room if I need it."

"It's no problem," he replied.

Yuffie nodded. "Well I'm sure you're tired so I'll let you get some rest."

"Yuffie," Vincent's voice stopped her and she turned back around.

"That's my name. What's up?"

"How long are you staying?"

She seemed startled by the question. "I didn't really have a plan in mind. Why?"

"Will you be here tomorrow?" he asked taking a different route. Yuffie realized he was referring to the last time when she left without warning. Guilt washed over her as she figured out that he too had been slightly concerned about the way she ran off. The ninja had never considered Vincent would have cared, but when she thought about it she made the connection that she was the closest to a friend the man had and she hadn't even told him where she was going.

"Yeah I'll be here, like I said I don't really have anywhere to be," Yuffie finally answered. The gunman nodded and began unbuckling his cloak when she spoke once more.

"Vincent, I'm sorry I just left before. I just…never mind." She muttered looking at the ground. "Well anyway I'll see you in the morning." The words came out quickly and she left the room just as fast. He heard a door further down the hallway close as she went to one of the bedrooms. With the ninja gone Vincent was free to think more about the messages he received.

_Vincent its Tifa. Yuffie's back! I can't believe she just showed back up. I really missed her but remember the last time we saw her? Well she still seems off…_

_Vincent, its Cloud. Just wanted to give you fair warning that Yuffie is back. Something seems different though…_

_Guess what Valentine? The brat's back! She just f#!ing shows up won't even give a good excuse where she was. Don't tell her but I actually missed the girl. There's something wrong though I think but she won't f#!ing tell me what's gong on…_

_Reeve here. I've got a few more missions for you if you're interested. Oh and Yuffie came by to see me. I'm glad that she came back like we all thought she would but I'm a little worried… _

All the messages confirmed what he had observed. There was something that Yuffie wasn't telling them and she definitely wasn't herself.

* * *

In the morning Vincent woke to the smell of coffee and food. Walking down the stairs he made his way to the kitchen where Yuffie was preparing breakfast. Fruit had been cut up and she was making crepes over the stove. She was still in her pajamas which consisted of a tank top and flannel pants. Her feet were bare and she was singing along with a song on the radio.

"Good morning," she told him without looking back.

A grunt was her reply as he moved towards the coffee pot. He observed out the window it was still raining and he was appreciative that he had a day off. Looking at Yuffie he noticed she was currently staring at him.

"You really are domestic," she giggled taking in the gunman. He was wearing dark sweatpants and a dark tee shirt, hair still mussed from sleep, while holding a cup of coffee. It was shocking to see the man without the cloak and leather suit, and had she not helped move his things she would have thought he didn't own anything else. Glaring again at the ninja Vincent made his way to the table to drink his coffee.

"You didn't have to make breakfast," he told her his deep voice sounding gravely from sleep.

"I was hungry and crepes sounded good," she answered matter-of-factly.

She soon joined him placing all the food on the table. They ate quietly once more, Vincent reading the paper she handed him and Yuffie reading some catalogs of furniture she had been given by the shops in town. Once again Vincent washed the dishes insisting that Yuffie sit and keep reading at the table.

"So did you have any preference on the type of furniture you wanted for this place?"

Vincent shook his head deciding in his mind that he didn't care what the place looked like as long as it wasn't brightly colored. Yes, he relented in his head, he was boring. It was a little bit shocking though that she was planning on helping with the furniture. Shocking but a relief as the gunman had no intentions of spending a day alone furniture shopping.

"Well if you want to go into town we can check out this shop. His couches were comfortable and neutral colors which should be perfect for you."

Yuffie looked at the gunman who nodded in agreement. The two set out once showers had been taken and set to work finding what was needed. Mostly Vincent stood by the door while Yuffie pointing to things and nodded his head if the furniture was acceptable. The living room set he agreed on was delivered the same day and Yuffie had even convinced the man to get a TV. The day passed quickly and once everything was in the mansion the pair was glad to relax. The rain had been light during the morning but in the afternoon became much steadier. Vincent decided to change into more comfortable clothes, which was just a black shirt and pants, while Yuffie worked on setting up the TV. When he came back down she was sitting on the couch, having also changed, watching a documentary on the history of handguns.

"See I told you that there would even be a channel that you would like."

Shaking his head slightly Vincent's lip nearly twitched as he sat on the couch and found himself actually enjoying the program. He soon noticed though that Yuffie looked a little bored with the program and asked if she wanted to watch something else. Actually he didn't ask, so much as hand her the remote.

"No, it's your TV. I can watch whatever and be happy."

The remote was then thrust into her hand and Yuffie sighed as she began to surf the channels. Finally she landed on a movie that was a thriller and after repeatedly asking Vincent's input, which he offered none, began to watch it. After a few minutes Yuffie rose to her feet and stretched while looking down at the gunman.

"You hungry? I'm gonna reheat some stew."

Vincent nodded and began to get up. "No no," she told him waving her hands in front of her. It reminded him of the time she had told him to not take her so serious back during the beginning of the Deep Ground issues. "I'll bring it out here so we can keep watching the movie."

He listened as she moved around in the kitchen and found himself thinking how he was actually enjoying her presence. Before she had left he had found himself questioning his feelings for the ninja. Of course she was the closest to a friend he had, but he had grown to care about her more than he had about anyone in a long time. That was partly the reason that Vincent broke the glass with his hand that night before she left. Hearing Reno's suggestive comment made his protective urges for the woman flare. He kept telling himself that it was only because he watched over her as a friend, but his logic was starting to fail. The gunman couldn't help but notice that Yuffie had become an attractive woman, and it began to affect his view of her. There was still the problem that he felt he didn't deserve happiness with someone like her. Although he had gotten over Lucrecia for the most part, he still felt that he had too many sins left to atone for.

She returned soon with two bowls and sat back on the couch with the gunman. During the meal and movie he found himself wondering how long this was going to last. Yuffie seemed comfortable at the mansion even with something obviously troubling her. Vincent found he was not uncomfortable with her presence and that he was actually enjoying the company. A small part of him though found he missed the usually loud Yuffie, but he decided that whatever had changed her would be brought up when she was ready. As the movie ended Vincent decided it was a good time to see what her plans were.

"Yuffie," he began not knowing how to ask.

"You wondering how long I'm staying?" She always knew how to read him better than anyone and had been watching him think. The ninja knew he deserved an explanation of what she planned to do. When he nodded she continued. "I'm not sure. I really have no where left to go. Tifa and Cloud are starting a family so I'm staying away from her hormones, Cid and Shera same thing. Barrett and Elmyra are starting their relationship and Nanaki is busy running Cosmo Canyon. Reeve offered me a place but he and Shelke seem to be an item so that would be awkward." At that point Yuffie trailed off looking up to Vincent.

"You are welcome to stay here," Vincent offered and felt somewhat relieved when she looked genuinely happy.

"Thanks Vincent. I promise I'll be a good roomie. I'll take care of this place and make meals, whatever you want," she rambled trying to verbalize her gratitude.

Vincent simply nodded not holding her to any of those claims. Yuffie on the other hand was comforted by his offer. When they first met years ago she had a crush on the gunman. Initially her crush had been on Cloud, but once they found Vincent that changed quickly. Over the years they had become a strange sort of friends, though she usually annoyed him to no end. When she left months ago it was hardest to say goodbye to him. She wanted to say so much more, but there was no way she was going to drag anyone into her problems. No matter how much she could've used someone to be there for her.

Now being back with him, she found her feelings resurfacing and knew she needed to keep them in check. The last thing she wanted was to put Vincent off by acting like a doting schoolgirl. Yuffie vowed then and there to not do anything to ruin their relationship that was going so well so far. Besides he once had a beautiful woman that Yuffie felt she could never compare to. He couldn't possibly return her feelings, so being his friend would have to be enough. _It is enough_ she told herself. Looking to Vincent she smiled seeing him focused on the movie, and turned back to watch as well enjoying the peaceful atmosphere.

Thanks so much for those who review. You give me the motivation to keep going with this story.


	3. Chapter 3

Well here's the next chapter. As always let me know if there's anything to fix.

It had been a month since Yuffie first began living at the mansion and it wouldn't be far off to say the other members of Avalanche were surprised with the arrangement. Yuffie and Vincent had always been a strange pair to be friends, but now living together seemed even more unbelievable. It was true that Yuffie seemed much more refined and polite presently, possibly making it easier for the gunman to coexist with her. In all that time her previous whereabouts were not clear as she skillfully avoided all conversations about the subject. She was still a subdued version of the woman they knew, but she seemed happy enough so everyone gave up on pressuring her to talk about where she had been.

Reeve began sending the pair on missions since they had worked well together in the past. Yuffie had tremendous skills when it came to stealth and information gathering and Vincent made sure if plans went wrong that the two would come out unscathed. Even though they worked and lived together they managed to get time alone to avoid becoming frustrated with one another. Yuffie would go to town to visit with Sarah and some of the other townspeople she had befriended or go running while Vincent worked on his guns or read. It truly was a good partnership, as they seemed to balance each other out. Yuffie, though not as loud as she used to be, talked enough for the two of them and seemed to aid in Vincent becoming slightly more social. He in turn provided her a place to live and someone that put up with her chatter. The peace for everyone of course was not to last as rumors began to surface about sightings of a silver haired swordsman. This caused Cloud to call a meeting for the group in Midgar.

Yuffie had just gone for a run when Vincent received the call from the blonde haired leader. He knew that the ninja's runs could take a while, especially if she was distracted along the way which she often was. Because of that he set out after her, taking the motorcycle in case she had gotten farther than he expected. Within a few minutes he saw her form on the trail to the mountains jogging along. Pulling up beside her he observed she turned quickly to see what was making the noise. Vincent decided it was because she hadn't heard him sooner which caused him to sigh, as he had told her repeatedly to run with her music quieter in case there was something on the trail. Obviously she hadn't listened.

"Hey what's up?" she asked pulling one of the earphones out of her ear.

"Cloud called. He wants us to go to Midgar."

"He say why?"

"Rumors of a swordsman with silver hair."

"He thinks Sephiroth is back?" Yuffie questioned grey eyes growing wider.

Vincent nodded and gestured for the ninja to climb on the back of the bike. Just as she made to get on a rustling in the bushes caused both to look at the source of the noise. While most of the monsters around the planet had been eradicated some still lurked in the sparsely populated areas. That was one of the main concerns the gunman had about her not being able to hear when running. Sure enough a small pack of wolves appeared causing Vincent to instinctively reach for his holster. Yuffie prepared as well, grabbing a kunai she had hidden on herself. The wolves circled, growling lowly as they eyed their targets. It was at that moment the pair heard more wolves coming from behind.

"I'll take these three." Vincent had moved off the bike and was focusing on the first wolves that they encountered. That left the two wolves that had just shown up behind them for Yuffie. The ninja nodded preparing for the beasts' first move. She didn't have long to wait as the wolves began their attack running towards them. She could hear gunshots behind her as she readied her kunai to strike the first wolf. Unfortunately the wolf was faster and dodged the attack. It quickly turned its head to bite but she moved her arm in time barely avoiding the snapping jaws. The second wolf snapped at her from the left but luckily her reflexes were fast enough to slash out at the wolf, hitting it across the face. The wolf yelped, and backed up snarling at the ninja who crouched on the ground trying to watch both animals. The first wolf had turned back to the ninja for another strike and leapt at her, but a gunshot rang out and she watched as the animal dropped instantly in midair. She glanced over to see Vincent standing with one arm out, gun still smoking in his hand. She turned back to the other animal, but it showed hesitation to attack as the ninja had damaged one of its eyes with her kunai. Seeing the rest of the pack had failed it bolted for the cover of the woods.

The gunman was at Yuffie's side quickly helping her up from the ground. She noticed he had killed two of the wolves he had been fighting in addition to the one he shot for her. The third he had been fighting had also run, seeing that the meal wasn't going to be worth it.

"Are you alright?" he asked voice its usual monotone.

"Yeah I'm fine, thanks for the help." She sounded a little abrupt. It was a blow to her pride as a ninja that she had needed help. Of course if she had her real weapon she would have been in a much better position to fight. "I guess I should listen to you when you tell me to not listen to my music so loud."

The gunman made a noise that sounded like a snort, which caused Yuffie to break out in laughter.

"I can't believe you just snorted," she laughed. "Was that supposed to be a laugh or something?"

"No," he answered ending the conversation.

"Well I guess we should get back. Cid's picking us up?"

Vincent nodded getting back on to the motorcycle. "Well then let's mosey," Yuffie announced sarcastically, putting her fist in the air in a clear attempt to make fun of Cloud. That caused to gunman to shake his head as his mouth twitched slightly at her antics. Over the months since he lost Chaos he had slowly been gaining back his sense of humor. Yuffie had been helping since her arrival to make sure he continued the process, whether by telling a joke or just doing something silly to see if she could get the gunman to smile. So far she had succeeded a total of ten times. For a month that was amazing.

Climbing on the back of the bike, she held on as he started back towards the mansion. Inside she was secretly giddy to have an excuse to hold on to Vincent. He was still slightly standoffish about contact with others, and Yuffie suddenly had a visual of him shooting her if she were to run up and hug him. Well maybe he wouldn't shoot but she decided she could totally see him at least drawing the gun and glaring. Before she realized it they were back at the mansion and Vincent was waiting for her to let go so he could get off the motorcycle. Actually she didn't notice this until he cleared his throat politely.

"Oh sorry," she sputtered taking her hands away quickly. In her haste to move off the bike her leg got stuck and she fell backwards. That's when she found herself staring up at the sky. _Oh look blue sky_ was all she could think as her face turned pink with embarrassment. That's when she heard the noise. It sounded like Vincent was clearing his throat, but the ninja realized that he was laughing at her. It only lasted a few seconds but she was sure of what it was.

She sat up and glared at the gunman. "You laugh at that? I've tried everything and all I had to do was fall?" Her voice displayed how she was not amused.

All she received in reply was a shrug as Vincent got off the bike and held out his human hand to help her up. Yuffie took it while she continued to glare. Once on her feet she couldn't hold her anger any longer and a grin broke out on her face.

"Well I guess it was worth it to make you laugh."

Vincent said nothing but again his mouth twitched for a moment, into a small smirk. The ninja noticed but said nothing, grinning at her friend. _Eleven _she thought to herself.

* * *

After Cloud had made all the calls, Tifa began running around in preparation for the rest of the group's arrival. Cid was picking up Nanaki, Yuffie, and Vincent on his way so at the moment they were waiting on them. Barrett lived close so he had already arrived, and was currently talking to Cloud while Denzel and Marlene helped Tifa. Reeve soon walked through the door with Cait Sith in tow. He planned to send the robotic cat along as usual so he could stay at the office to monitor any new leads that came in. Within a few minutes after his arrival, Cid and the others filed into the bar.

"Yuffie," Marlene cried running to hug the ninja tightly.

"Hey kiddo how have you been?" she asked looking slightly pale from the ride. The ninja was still plagued with airsickness, which Cid had taken delight in teasing her about on the ride over. Marlene began chatting with Yuffie, who was slowly turning back to her normal color, telling her all that she missed while staying with the gunman.

"How have you both been?" Tifa asked Vincent who stayed back while everyone was talking.

"Well, you?"

"Can't complain," she answered smiling. "I don't suppose you've found out anything about where she was."

"I haven't pushed the issue," he replied his eyes following the ninja.

Tifa nodded and asked, "Has she been the same?"

He nodded in affirmation.

Tifa sighed lightly, "Well maybe all of us getting together will help."

The gunman didn't have a chance to reply as the meeting began. The latest rumors were that a man sounding a lot like Sephiroth was being spotted near Wutai. Yuffie seemed to stiffen slightly at the mention of her home, something that some of the group noticed.

"So what's the plan Spike?" Barrett asked the leader.

"Well we should go where the sightings are, which would mean we're going to Wutai."

Some members glanced to Yuffie to see her reaction, and she noticed those eyes on her.

"What are you guys looking at me for?"

Tifa spoke up as the rest looked sheepishly away. "We're worried. You seem a little tense about going to Wutai and we were wondering if something happened while you were gone before."

Yuffie's eyes widened slightly but her face remained impassive. "I'm fine, but we've got other things to worry about don't we?"

"Yuffie are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"

The ninja stood suddenly slamming a hand on the table. "Nothing happened so there's nothing to talk about." Realizing her outburst she took a deep breath and sat back down. "Look I appreciate the concern, but like I said before, we've got bigger problems to deal with."

The group was shocked at her sudden change in behavior and all were now convinced something happened to the woman while she was gone. It definitely involved Wutai as well. However she was right that there was indeed something more important that needed to be addressed first.

"Yuffie will your father see us if we go there?" Cloud asked in case there would be an issue with the woman having to see Godo.

She sighed audibly and nodded. "He'll see you. He's not stupid when it comes to something like Sephiroth."

"You'll be able to go with us correct?"

"Yeah Cloud, my father and I won't kill each other or anything."

Cloud nodded seeming content with her answer. Yuffie surprised them all when she spoke again.

"Look I just want to put out there that you may all hate me after we go there and I just want to say I would understand if you do," as she said this her grey eyes looked down at the table.

"Yuffie, why would you say that?" Tifa asked alarmed at how serious the ninja looked.

"There's just some things that you may learn abut me when get there okay? I'm just saying I won't hold it against anyone if you all can't stand me when this is over."

"I speak for everyone when I say that won't happen," Tifa spoke sharply becoming more frantic with her friend. "We all have our pasts and you don't hold that against anyone so why would we do that to you?"

Yuffie shrugged and looked down, obviously done arguing. The rest of Avalanche watched the exchange unsure what to do.

"Well let's leave now, and hopefully reach Wutai by sunrise," Cloud spoke up changing the subject. The group agreed and moved out to the airship. Once aboard everyone took to their rooms to rest up before the next day. Vincent still found he needed less sleep these days after thirty years in a coffin and decided to wander the ship to find a quiet spot to relax. He walked into a room at the corner of the main compartment and saw it was a recreation room complete with a pool table and TV. There was also a large window with a couch in front of it, so he made his way there to sit down. Once he reached the couch he found it was partially occupied.

"Yuffie?" he asked seeing that she hadn't heard him approach which was unusual.

Turning her head quickly she saw the gunman staring down at her. "Oh hey Vincent, wanna sit?" she asked moving her feet and making room for him. Vincent sat down on the other end looking out the window at the sunset. The two remained in a comfortable silence while the sun disappeared, the only noise the sound of the engines running.

"You should get some rest before tomorrow." Vincent suddenly broke the silence with his deep voice.

Yuffie shrugged, "I'm not feeling tired yet."

The gunman took the opportunity to look over at his companion and saw her still staring out the window even though it was too dark to see anything anymore. He could tell she was thinking about the morning and was slightly worried, but she refused to explain why to any of them. Being the patient man that he was Vincent decided, as was normal with Yuffie, they would be told when she felt it was necessary.

"Thanks Vince," she spoke breaking his thoughts.

He looked at her with a slightly confused look which caused her to explain. "You aren't pressuring me about talking. I just want you to know I appreciate that." She paused for a moment while thinking before continuing. "You know you have every right after all those years that I bugged you about opening up too," she told him laughing at the irony. Here she was bottling up when she had been so persistent in him being more open. _What a hypocrite I am _the ninja thought.

"It's alright," Vincent told her looking back to the window. Yuffie simply sighed and smiled realizing that he wasn't holding it against her as much as she was against herself. A short time later Vincent heard her breathing change and found she had fallen asleep. It was becoming a common occurrence that she slept better when he was nearby. On missions they often shared a room or the floor of the forest. The ninja had made the offhand comment once that she found she could just sleep better when he was around, but didn't elaborate. The gunman was surprised to hear this as he still thought of himself as a monster. The fact that someone found comfort in his presence was unbelievable to him. Before he realized it he too had dozed off on the couch next to the ninja.

* * *

It was still dark outside but dawn was approaching when Vincent's eyes opened. He become aware of something warm on his side and found Yuffie leaning against his chest asleep. During the night he ended up leaning back on the left side of the couch and somehow she moved in the same direction to end up lying on his chest on his right side. His human hand had unconsciously wrapped around her shoulders during the night leaving them in an intimate and slightly embarrassing situation. Suddenly the ninja moved, seeming to be trying to determine where she was. Seeing that she was almost on top of the gunman she moved quickly mumbling an apology. Vincent shook his head indicating he wasn't angry and the two sat upright trying to wake up.

"Everyone get yer f#!ing asses to the bridge," Cid's colorful language blared harshly on the loudspeaker.

"Wow that's a lovely wakeup call," Yuffie commented sarcastically. Vincent grunted in reply, common for him when he had just woke up. The pair made their way to the bridge to find everyone waiting on them.

"What the hell took you two so long?" Cid asked raising his eyebrows. "Shit Valentine you aren't screwing the brat are you?" He added the last part just to get a reaction. The pilot wasn't disappointed.

Both Yuffie and Vincent showed their surprise through widened eyes. Cloud who was drinking coffee could be heard coughing, having choked on his beverage when Cid busted out with that lovely question. Yuffie recovered first and shot a dirty look at the pilot. It was all Vincent could do to control himself to only shoot a glare and not something more lethal as his hand moved to his gun holster. Tifa noticed and put a hand on his arm, giving him a disapproving look.

"Shut up Cid," Yuffie snapped unable to come up with a wittier remark that early in the morning.

Cid smirked, "Whatever, it's time to move out according to Cloud."

Cloud spoke up having finished coughing using his leader voice, "That's right let's mosey!"

Everyone groaned at his phrase and began preparations to go to Wutai.

On the way to the city to meet with Godo, Tifa caught up with Yuffie.

"I hope you didn't take Cid to heart. He was just being Cid," the barmaid started conversation.

"I know, and no I don't usually listen to him so why start now?" she replied with a cheeky grin.

Tifa smiled at her friend glad she seemed in a good mood. Everyone had been concerned about how she would be going back to her homeland when she seemed edgy before.

"So is there something between you two?" she asked lowering her voice to a whisper.

Yuffie's head snapped to look at Tifa as she answered, "No, definitely not."

"Why do you say it like that? You could do much worse than Vincent. I mean you're the only one he actually puts up with so that's got to be something right?"

"Look Tifa, I'm sure he's not interested, so let's drop the subject."

"But you aren't saying you aren't interested?"

Yuffie was silent for a moment. "It doesn't matter."

Tifa was a little stunned her friend had admitted anything, albeit not much. "It does matter Yuffie. You should-" she was cut off as they finally reached the city. The barmaid made a comment about the conversation not being over to which the ninja rolled her eyes. The city was just starting to wake up and there were few people to question so the group made their way to the palace. As they walked into the large entryway a servant greeted them.

"May I help you?"

Cloud stepped forward to talk to the servant while Yuffie tried to remain in the back of the group. "We were looking to speak with Lord Godo. I'm Cloud Strife and I've met with him before. Our group's name was Avalanche back then."

"Oh of course let me go get my lord," she answered recognizing the name Avalanche. It was well known that their very own Yuffie Kisaragi was a part of the group when they saved the planet twice and so they were on good terms with Wutai and its leader. A few minutes later they were ushered into a meeting hall and told that Godo would be there shortly. True to the servant's words he showed up a few minutes later and greeted Cloud.

"How have you been?" he asked the blonde leader.

"Well, thank you Lord Godo," Cloud answered bowing as Yuffie had taught him years ago.

"What brings you to my palace?" Godo asked.

"We've heard rumor of a silver haired swordsman in this area and we came to investigate. Have you heard anything?"

"I have heard the rumor, I assume you…," Godo suddenly trailed off as his eyes caught Yuffie's. Cloud didn't have to look to know what Godo had seen. After a tense moment the ruler glanced back to the blonde swordsman. "You think its Sephiroth?"

Cloud nodded glad there was not a blow out, although Godo seemed much more uptight now seeing his daughter was here as well.

"Well other than there being a rumor I haven't heard much. I wish I knew more. But please feel free to stay here while you look."

Again Cloud nodded but suddenly Yuffie interjected speaking in her native tongue. Godo looked alarmed then slightly remorseful speaking lowly to his daughter. Ignoring what he said she spoke to the rest of the group.

"Come on we'll be staying across town in my house."

Cloud looked to the ninja asking silently for an explanation but was given none. With that the group followed Yuffie to her old home. The cats were all gone and the place was mostly empty save for a few pieces of furniture. There was a large amount of dust and it looked like the place hadn't been used in years. After discussing where to start, it was decided that they would go around town and see what the people there had heard.

The group split up and everyone was sent to different parts of the town to ask questions. Around the early afternoon everyone met at a small restaurant Yuffie suggested, and had lunch while speaking of what was learned. Again only rumors had been heard and it sounded less like Sephiroth and more like someone who resembled him. That was not entirely encouraging as Cloud grew concerned it was a remnant like Kadaj and his brothers. Yuffie seemed to get touchier as the conversation wore on, and Vincent recognized something akin to fear in her eyes. It was an emotion he had rarely seen from her. Suddenly the same servant from the morning ran through the doors eyes searching until they fell on Yuffie.

"Lady Yuffie, please come quickly," she panted, tears running down her face.

Yuffie looked nervous but went with the woman, the rest of the group following closely behind. Running into the palace the ninja saw what had the servant so upset. There was blood everywhere, as two of the guards lay dead, their bodies covered in red with large gashes across their chests. Yuffie ran up the stairs skipping every other step and reached the top floor to see her father and his two closest advisors lying in pools of blood.

"Godo!" Yuffie yelled running to his side.

Godo wasn't dead yet but it was obvious he wouldn't last long. Like the others he had a large cut across his upper body, but a single stab wound through his chest seemed to be where most of the blood was coming from. There were also wounds on his arms, evidence that he had attempted to fight back. The crimson liquid pooled around him and caused Yuffie to almost slip as she knelt by his side grabbing a blood covered hand. The fallen leader spoke to her in Wutainese softly for a moment, then shuddered as life left his body. Yuffie simply sat by his side and held his hand until it was obvious that her father was truly gone. By that time more attendants appeared and stood by in shock, unsure what to do. The Avalanche members also watched on, uncertain what had happened to cause the horrific scene in front of them. Finally rising to her feet Yuffie spoke to the attendants and they went to work picking up the bodies. Cloud recognized Chekhov who walked up to the ninja and spoke to her. She nodded to him and motioned for the group to follow her.

Once back at her house she addressed the group to explain what had happened. Chekhov had come as well as it appeared he had taken over the role as next in line to be ruler from the royal seal he now wore on his headband.

"Yuffie, aren't you the next in line?" Cloud asked after she introduced Chekhov as Lord Chekhov.

Yuffie shook her head and began explaining. "I guess that this was bound to come out so I might as well explain. When I left I came back to Wutai because my father was forcing me to marry. I agreed and married the suitor he chose. We kept it low key so no one even knew this happened. Well some things happened between my husband and me and Godo finally had to get involved. Let's just say I'm not married anymore. After everything it was too little too late and I kinda lost faith in Godo, so I renounced my claim to the throne and Chekhov here took over. My father tried to get me to stay but I refused. I guess I felt Wutai wasn't worth all the crap he put me through. That's when I came back to see you all." It was easy to see from the look on Yuffie's face that there was more to the story she was leaving out.

"Yuffie, why didn't you tell us?" Tifa asked. "And what happened that would cause you to not trust your father?"

"I don't know, I guess I was being selfish because it was easier for me to just leave without having to say goodbye to all of you. It would have been too hard." Her eyes caught Vincent's crimson ones as she said that. "What happened while I was here really isn't important at the moment."

Rather than force the stubborn woman to talk the group agreed that there were indeed more pressing problems to deal with.

"You should have told us. We all care about you Yuffie and the way you left made everyone worried," Cloud told her sternly while wrapping an arm around her shoulders and forcing her into a hug. She tensed at the contact, knowing that she truly had been a coward and that had caused all of her friends to be concerned about her. After a moment she relaxed and returned the hug. "You're right though," the leader continued. "We do have a bigger issue to deal with first." When he finally released the ninja she smiled weakly in an attempt to brighten the mood. It didn't work.

"What did your father say to you up there?" Tifa asked. "Did he know who did this to him?"

"He said the silver haired swordsman isn't Sephiroth, but he didn't recognize the man who did this. He also asked me to forgive him," Yuffie answered looking down.

"So we aren't any closer to figuring out who did this?" Cid asked.

Yuffie shook her head, "I think I may know who it was."

"Who?" the group asked in unison, save for Nanaki and Vincent.

"Well ninja's aren't just people who run around in the woods with shurikens, stealing materia like I used to. We're also taught to be assassins." She hesitated before speaking again. "I think it's the relative of someone I killed, my father's description of the killer fits the person. Usually I wasn't sloppy but that was the one time that I was seen. I just didn't think…" she trailed off remembering the one assassination that didn't go as expected.

Her friends looked at her in surprise. They had assumed before they met her that, like she said, she had been out in the world stealing materia. Not killing people. The image just didn't seem to fit the happy go lucky Yuffie they were accustomed to.

"I warned you all that you may hate me when all was said and done."

"Yuffie," Tifa spoke up, "We don't hate you. We are surprised, but that was who you were before. Not who you are now. I mean Cloud used to be a Soldier, Vincent used to be a Turk, and even the rest of us have things we have done in our lives that we are less than proud of."

Cloud and the rest of the group nodded hoping the ninja would see that they did indeed not care about what she had done before. All of them had past regrets in their lives and she was willing to forgive each of them. How could they not do the same for her?

Yuffie bowed her head. "Thanks you guys."

The group began discussing what action to take next. Although the threat of Sephiroth seemed to be gone, they now had Yuffie to worry about. It seemed logical that given she had hurt this individual, she would most likely be the next target of the killer. Yuffie on the other hand was mentally coming up with plans to get alone so she could handle the problem. There was no way she would risk anymore lives on her account. Quickly the ninja devised a way to get away so she could find the murderer.

"I'm going to the hot spring, I need a bath," she suddenly announced.

Her statement made everyone look at her as though she were crazy.

"Why the hell would you take a bath at a moment like this?" Cid asked glowering at the woman.

"Look I'm covered in my father's blood right now. I just want to get clean."

"I'll go with her," Tifa said trying to compromise knowing everyone was concerned about having the ninja go anywhere alone.

"You guys can even be in the vicinity if you're that worried," she tried to convince them it would be safe.

Grudgingly the men agreed deciding to be within earshot of the pair. Yuffie nearly rolled her eyes but held her composure. Her idea wasn't going exactly according to plan as Tifa complicated the matter. If the barmaid was there she could get hurt and there was no way she would let that happen. Yuffie finally decided she would lose the woman and find the killer. Hopefully.

So there will be action in the next chapter to give you a heads up. Keep the reviews coming they make me happy!


	4. Chapter 4

Ok so I've been working on this chapter the last three days and I'm still not sure if I like it. If you guys have any suggestions please help. As always reviews are appreciated and they really do help motivate me to keep writing.

* * *

"This is a bad idea," Cid muttered as the men, Cait Sith, and Nanaki sat around the woods. They couldn't see the pool, but they were nearby to ensure if anything happened they'd be able to help. 

"We're close enough to make sure nothing happens," Cloud reassured without looking at the pilot. He didn't have to see Cid to know he was currently chain-smoking. It was typical for him to do when he was actually nervous, although he would never admit it to anyone.

"Well everyone better be f#!ing paying attention," he announced loudly to make sure that they were all on guard.

"Damn it Cid, we're all paying attention," Barrett snapped as he worked on cleaning his gun. He too was on edge about both women being alone under the present circumstances.

_Agreed_ Vincent thought to himself as he too checked his weapon. As Barrett stated everyone there was ready in case of emergency and none of them would let anything happen to either Yuffie or Tifa. The group grew silent as everyone listened for any signs of danger.

Vincent thoughts drifted back to the conversation that had taken place earlier at Yuffie's house. He was shocked to hear the ninja had given up her claim to the throne even though he gave no outward sign of it. When they had worked together before Yuffie had always said she would go back to Wutai and return the place to its former glory. Now that she had relinquished her position, all of her hopes for her homeland were given up as well.

Of course just as astonishing was the news that Yuffie had been married while she was gone. The gunman wasn't sure how he felt when he first heard that information. It certainly didn't sit well with him to think of the ninja with someone who had obviously caused her pain. Actually he was feeling something akin to jealousy although he tried to convince himself otherwise. What was even more troubling was that she refused to say what exactly happened between her and her husband that made her decide to give up the throne.

"Did you hear me Vincent?" His thoughts interrupted, he looked up to see Cloud staring at him expecting an answer. As the gunman shook his head Cloud smiled slightly figuring he was worrying about the situation with Yuffie. Although he didn't verbalize it, the leader could tell that he did care about the ninja, perhaps more than anybody else realized. "I was just checking that you had enough materia."

"I'm set," he responded.

"That's surprising considering the brat lives with you," Cid told him with a laugh.

Vincent made no comment and continued to load his gun.

"So tell me Vince what's going on between the two of you? I mean you live together but is there more going on or what? You two seem pretty f#!ing close lately if you know what I mean," the pilot added with a suggestive grin. He had been looking for Vincent on the airship early in the morning and sufficed to say the pilot had seen the pair on the couch. After seeming to think he foolishly opened his mouth again. "Shit, I bet you two really are screwing."

Vincent was anything but amused and while his glare usually made Cid slightly nervous pairing it with Cerberus pointed at his face terrified the man. Maybe Yuffie could stare him down gun and all but most of the group wasn't so lucky.

"Okay I got it, shut up," Cid relented wide-eyed holding up his hands in surrender. The gun was no longer pointed at his head and the pilot relaxed slightly. Of course Vincent wouldn't hurt his friends on purpose, as long as they stayed on his good side. Cid decided smartly he wanted back in on the gunman's good side.

Cloud watched the exchange and decided he was now almost certain that Vincent harbored some sort of feelings for Yuffie. The only thing he was unsure of was whether the gunman would ever actually act on them, or take the coward's way out as he himself had done with a certain bartender. He had only recently built up the nerve to tell Tifa how he felt, after years of avoiding the subject. Thankfully she had returned the feelings and they were currently trying to get comfortable in the relationship they had developed. Somehow Cloud figured that given their similarities, Vincent would avoid the subject as he had done. He could always hope for Yuffie's sake that he was wrong.

"He was just being Cid," Cloud told him once the pilot had moved over to where Barrett was sitting. Vincent sighed but said nothing.

"I know you're worried about her, but it'll all work out," he spoke again, keeping his voice soft to avoid the others hearing.

"You sound like Tifa," Vincent told him dryly.

Cloud chuckled, "I guess I do. But since she's smarter than me I think it's a good thing."

The gunman didn't respond but did give a slight nod to the blonde man.

"I've got one more piece of 'Tifa advice' for you. Don't make the same mistake I did and take three years to come to your senses. And you're smart so you know what I'm referring to."  
Crimson eyes stared directly at Cloud and for a moment the leader wondered if he pushed the man too far. He was surprised though as Vincent simply nodded and went back to re-checking Cerberus. _Well I guess that confirms it. Tifa would be proud_ he thought to himself with a smirk.

* * *

"This is wonderful, thanks for letting me come with you," Tifa smiled relaxing in the warm pool. 

Yuffie nodded in agreement but said nothing more. She had finished washing up and was resting her head against the rocks that surrounded the pool with her eyes closed. The ninja looked to be relaxed but internally she was working on a plan to get away from the group, with little progress.

"So we didn't get to finish talking this morning." Tifa's voice broke the silence once more. The bartender was trying to cheer up Yuffie by distracting her from the events that had taken place. Although Yuffie and Godo weren't exactly close, Tifa could tell that her friend was hurting just the same. The best way she could figure to cheer her up was to distract her from what happened earlier that day.

The ninja looked over to the older woman narrowing her eyes. "Oh I'm pretty sure we did."

"No I'm sure we didn't," she answered with a sweet smile.

Tifa held back a laugh as Yuffie made a face. "Gawd are you really going to start this? Look, I know you're trying to take my mind off things but that isn't the way to do it." The ninja was hopeful as there was a moment of silence. Her hope was shattered as her friend continued talking

"Yuffie you really need to talk to him, tell him how you feel. You may be surprised that he actually has the same feelings," Tifa lectured. She could be relentless when it suited her.

"I think you're wrong," Yuffie countered closing her eyes as she leaned back against the rock once more. By keeping her eyes closed she hoped to hide the emotions she felt about the topic. "I just don't think there's any way he feels anything other than friendship towards me."

"What makes you say that?" Tifa coaxed trying to get more from her friend.

"I mean look at me, then look at _her_. I don't measure up. I'm not even sure that he's really over her. I mean Shelke still has all of that woman's memories, so he'll always have that reminder. And I think he still blames himself for everything that happened."

"Are you crazy?" Tifa asked voice sounding like a growl. "You are just as beautiful as her. Have you even bothered to look at yourself lately? And he said goodbye to Lucrecia already, even though Shelke has her memories in her. Besides Shelke's with Reeve so it's not like you need to worry about that. You know as well as I do that he's working on getting over his guilt so he can live again." She paused during her lecture to emphasize her next words. "I think you both have feelings for each other but are too scared to tell each other. Are you even listening?"

Tifa stopped ranting as she noticed that Yuffie had moved and was sitting upright once more, looking intently into the woods past her head. Before she could ask why, Yuffie spoke to her in a low voice.

"Get out of here casually and go get help."

Tifa looked unsure but complied deciding the best way to help Yuffie at this point was to do what she asked. She resisted the urge to look behind her and casually rose from the water to pull on her robe.

"You know we aren't done here, but I'll see you back at the city," she said in a normal tone while Yuffie shot her a fake smile and wave goodbye. The ninja didn't even have to act as she was still annoyed about how much her friend was pushing her about Vincent. _She can't possibly be right_ Yuffie thought briefly turning her attention back to the person she sensed. She watched as the bartender began to walk away nonchalantly relieved that she was able to act so calm.

Tifa on the other hand was panicking in her mind while trying to stay composed. Once she felt she was far enough away she broke into a run to find the guys. Although they were within earshot of the others she knew Yuffie wanted her to keep quiet, probably to try and turn the tables on whoever was nearby.

As soon as Tifa was out of sight Yuffie quickly stepped out of the spring and put on her thin silk robe. Once clothed, she moved farther into the woods with a speed typical of a ninja. Even though she had sensed a presence she knew it was further away and getting rid of Tifa allowed her to track down the person alone. Hopefully her friends would be far enough behind that she could take care of the problem without anyone else getting hurt or worse.

Silently Yuffie made her way deeper into the woods and before long found herself at a river shrouded by fog from a picturesque waterfall. The place was familiar to her, since it used to be one of her favorite hiding places when she was younger. That was when Yuffie noticed the person was much closer than she originally thought.

She jumped across the water to land on a large boulder in the middle of the river, crouching with one hand touching the rock. At the same time the ninja pulled out a kunai, which she had hidden in the sleeve of her robe. Glancing around she tried to determine the whereabouts of the person she was searching for. The roar of the falls next to her drowned out any noises around her making it impossible to track by sound. As she stood up on the boulder the mist cleared enough that her grey eyes found the person she had been searching for standing on the opposite river bank.

"Kisagari Yuffie." The voice was deep and familiar.

"Iketani Sano," Yuffie spoke softly trying to keep her voice emotionless.

The pair regarded each other both for a moment seeming unsure what to do next. His weapon was already drawn but he made no move to come closer. Sano looked just as she remembered him. He was tall like Vincent and although he was only twenty three, he had silver hair that was cut short falling across his eyes. He dressed the same as she remembered wearing a samurai styled outfit typical of his homeland.

Sano seemed to be assessing her appearance as well, taking in her longer hair and matured features. However as Yuffie's grey eyes caught his she was startled. Sano always had blue eyes but now they seemed too bright, just like Cloud's. _Mako poisoning_ she found herself thinking. Just as the ninja opened her mouth to speak the footsteps of her friends alerted her they weren't alone.

"Yuffie?" Tifa asked hesitantly looking between her friend and the strange man across the river.

"Stay there and don't move," Yuffie said lowly not taking her eyes off of the man in front of her.

Sano looked away from the ninja to see the group across the water. "Who are these people Yuffie? Your friends?" he asked in a mocking tone while glaring.

Yuffie gave a defiant glare as she spoke. "Never mind, your problem is with me."

"I thought tools, such as you, couldn't have weaknesses like friends," he growled.

"Leave them out of this Sano."

The silver haired man seemed to think for a moment before speaking. "I have an idea. Why don't we show them what you're really like? I wonder if they could even look at you once they learn what you truly are?" he asked with a threatening tone.

Yuffie started to move forward but stopped as she realized it was too late. Her eyes betrayed her fear as Sano had made a series of hand signals and everything around them grew fog like.

"He's using a genjitsu, don't move," Yuffie explained hoping her friends would listen.

Suddenly an image appeared in the fog. It was both Yuffie and Sano appearing a few years younger. They were standing across from each other on the same river, obviously surprised. Yuffie looked like she was preparing to run when Sano held out a hand.

_"Wait!"_

Yuffie turned back to look at him unsure what to do. He came closer walking in the water while holding his hand out as if to calm her down.

_"Please I just want to talk to you."_

Yuffie looked down at him and asked,_ "Why?"_

Suddenly the image changed and the two were again meeting but seemed much more comfortable with each other.

_"Let's go off together,"_ Sano suggested to Yuffie who was sitting on the boulder next to him.

_"You know I can't you know that. I belong to Wutai,"_ she answered rolling her eyes. It was obvious that Yuffie was frustrated with the situation.

_"Screw Wutai, and screw my village. Let's just go."_

_"I can't I promised when my mom died I'd fix Wutai,"_ Yuffie's tone grew more serious as she spoke of her vow she'd made to her mother. _"Even if that means I have to be a tool for my homeland."_

Sano frowned at this and pulled Yuffie's face towards his own.

_"Let's pretend, just for now, we're free to do what we want."_

With that he hesitantly pulled her closer capturing her lips with his own. She was obviously surprised but soon relaxed and gave in to her own desires. Their kiss grew more heated and again the image faded away. As the group watched they wondered where this was going and just what Yuffie had done to this man.

The next image was Yuffie standing before Sano with an empty expression on her face. His face showed that he was in pain.

_"Why Yuffie?"_

_"I'll only hurt you in the end. I told you before I belong toWutai."_

_"But I lo-"_

_"Don't,"_ Yuffie snapped holding up her hand. _"I know you'll hate me soon. I'm sorry but that's the way it is."_

Turning away she began to walk.

_"Please Yuffie I know you feel the same way."_

She paused and answered coldly, _"Sorry you're wrong."_

Again the images faded and suddenly they were inside a home of some sort. Following Sano he opened a door to see a man against a wall held up by a dark figure. As the figure moved back it was apparent there was a sword in the man.

_"Father?"_ Sano spoke obviously in shock.

Sano's father sank to the ground blood pooling around his body. The figure looked over to Sano but all that was uncovered was the assassin's eyes and hair that flopped over the black headband. That was enough for Sano to identify the killer.

_"Yuffie…why?"_ he asked voice shaking.

The figure said nothing and moved towards the open window.

_"He was a defenseless old man, why?"_ Sano was now yelling.

_"I warned you that you'd hate me. When you're ready for revenge, come find me."_

With that Yuffie was gone leaving Sano who dropped to his father's side heartbroken and angry.

The genjitsu suddenly disappeared leaving only the sound of the waterfall. Everyone stared at Yuffie, shocked by this side of her they had never seen. It was unclear why she had to kill his father, but it was likely there was more to the story than they were shown. The ninja surprised everyone including Sano when she suddenly kneeled on the boulder.

"I take it you're ready for your revenge." Her eyes never left his.

Sano recovered from the shock and nodded briskly, moving forward into the water. Yuffie bowed her head, ready for what she felt she deserved.

"Yuffie no!" Tifa's voice suddenly broke the silence as she realized what her friend was doing. Vincent also saw what Yuffie planned and tried to move only to discover he couldn't. The genjistu hadn't been the only spell the silver haired man had cast, and it seemed most of the group was also frozen. The bartender appeared to be the only who could move, apparently due to the ribbon she wore. Quickly she ran to stand between the ninja and Sano.

"Tifa don't!" Yuffie yelled not wanting her friend to get involved.

"I'll go through your friends if I need to," Sano growled as he raised his sword to strike the bartender. Suddenly Yuffie was between him and her friend, the sword embedded in her forearm. Tifa had fallen back in surprise and watched in horror as blood spurted from the wound when he pulled the blade back. Yuffie hissed in pain and was pushed aside by Sano who continued to move toward the fallen brunette.

Yuffie jumped back between them and kicked the man back while using the kunai to block his sword. Sano swung again, but she blocked his arm and hit a pressure point which caused him to drop the weapon. _Damn he's stronger than I remembered_ the ninja thought as he hit her chest with an open palm causing her to fall back into the water with a splash. She flipped back up on to her feet in time to block a kick aimed for her head. Ducking she leapt back which gave her a second to breathe while Sano regained his balance. They stared at each other for instant, wind whipping their wet hair and clothing, before they clashed once more. Water flew up around them with the sudden movement.

While Yuffie fought Sano, Tifa moved out of the river and back towards the group realizing she was acting only as a hazard to the ninja. She and the rest watched in concern as their friend fought for her life against Sano. Tifa found herself wishing she had something to break the stop spell on the group so that they could help as well. She could see in Vincent's eyes that he was frustrated, and there was even a hint of concern across his usually expressionless face. _It must be killing him that he can't do anything_ the brunette thought briefly feeling for the gunman.

Suddenly Yuffie let out a grunt of pain as a kunai Sano had pulled out was embedded in her abdomen. It was enough to cause her to drop to her knees giving Sano time to recover his sword. He again raised the blade and swung down but Yuffie blocked the attack. Unfortunately she couldn't stop his foot which kicked her stomach causing her to fall backwards into the water. Tifa moved instantly to protect her friend, and again found a sword coming down at her.

It stopped abruptly as Yuffie was once more between her and Sano, this time holding the kunai she had lodged in his chest. His sword fell harmlessly from his hand as blood began to drip from the wound. The ninja looked up to see his eyes on hers, once more their normal shade of blue, and a smile graced his lips.

"I was such a fool," he said softly.

With that he sank to his knees the water around his thighs. Yuffie followed him still holding the kunai.

"I'm sorry Yuffie," he began. Her eyes showed her confusion so he continued. "I know that you couldn't control the past. I let my revenge get the best of me. He used it against me." He took a breath, the ability to talk becoming more difficult.

"Who?" Yuffie asked.

"I was never told his name. He wanted to make me stronger so I could defeat you. I stupidly let him experiment on me." Suddenly Sano coughed up blood which landed in the water between them. "I want you to promise me one thing."

"What?" the ninja asked softly.

"Never let anyone use you the way your father did. That is how you can make up for what you have done to me. I can't make up what I have put you through, I'm so sorry."

Yuffie felt tears in her eyes. She had taken away his father in front of him and here he was apologizing to her. Telling her he forgave her.

"Promise?"

"Yeah I promise," she answered.

Softly Sano brought his lips to hers and her eyes widened at the contact. He tasted slightly metallic due to the blood and she held back the tears she felt threatening to fall. Gradually his lips released hers and he slowly fell back into the water, leaving Yuffie kneeling beside his lifeless body.

The roar of the waterfall was the only noise made as everyone simply watched the scene. It was surreal to say the least and no one moved although the spell had been released once Sano had fallen. Yuffie stood, while still looking down at the silver haired man then glanced over at her friends. Tifa was once again on the river bank but now stood beside Cloud with tears in her eyes. The ninja started to walk toward the group when she suddenly collapsed, landing on her hands and knees in the water.

"Yuffie?" Tifa shouted running towards the girl followed by the rest. The barmaid reached the ninja first and helped her up when she saw a kunai still in Yuffie's stomach. The wound on her arm was also still bleeding badly causing the water to turn red around her.

"We need to get her healed quickly!"

Cloud and the rest of the group ran over to help Tifa move the girl to dry ground before pulling out the kunai. Using a healing spell stopped the bleeding for both wounds but the weapon from her stomach had been poisoned. They tried to use what they had for materia to cure poison, but it wasn't working. During the process Yuffie was in and out of consciousness muttering incoherently.

"This is a rare type of poison," Nanaki stated instantly noticing the difference in the scent of the poison on the kunai.

None of their treatments seemed to work and Yuffie's condition was rapidly worsening. She had become completely unconscious and turned an ashen color as sweat covered her forehead. Vincent stepped in and picked up the ninja effortlessly grabbing the kunai as well. Quickly he began to sprint in the direction of the city hearing the footsteps of the others behind him. As he ran he couldn't help but feel dread building from her condition. He didn't have time to dwell on it though because within minutes he reached his destination and hurried to the town's doctor.

"What's going on?" the doctor asked recognizing the ninja in the arms of the gunman.

"Poison," Vincent answered and placed her on the nearest table handing the blade to the man.

The doctor said nothing more after looking at the blade and immediately went to work to save the dying woman.

* * *

So there it is. Hope you all enjoyed it. I've got a lot more ideas for what's going to happen along the way to the end so I hope you guys don't mind a longer story. 


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